I'm about to shoot my 2nd gear...
 

Got a problem with 2nd gear on my 91 2wd toyota pickup. It doesn't want to go into 2nd w/o putting a good bit of force into it. It's especially bad in the mornings when its cold. All the other gears shift fine but since it has been getting a lot cooler here it seems to be affecting 1st gear as well in the morning. Are the synchros getting old or could it just be the clutch? I know for a fact the clutch is original. The truck besides this problem is in excellent shape, I have a book of receipts from the original owner, and I know its not the shifter bushing either as it has been replaced already by toyota. Any ideas guys? thanks

Yeah, probably just the synchros.. I have a 92 Pickup and my 2nd gear synchro really sucks, 1st and 3rd have issues too, but nothing compared to 2nd. Mine is noticably worse in the cold weather too. I've even upgraded to synthetic in the transmission and it was better, but still not good.

I wrecked the synchros on my transmission and had to have it rebuilt. Near the end you could barely get it into any gear. I was told my synchros were ruined by the synthetic gear oil I used (Mobil 1). Supposedly it was too slippery for the synchros and can wreck them over time. My new transmission works well although shifting into first is a little hard when cold. I use Redline MTL now and it's great.

Before you go spending thousands on synchros and labor, make sure the plastic bushing at the base of the shift lever is not broken or worn off.

mines like that, but once the oil gets slung around a little bit its fine. I'm considering using a 75-90 weight...

Also, make sure that your hydraulic system for your clutch doesn't have any air in it. Do a quick bleed and see if it makes any difference.

Troy

how would i bleed the hydraulic system?

you don't want to use a GL5 gear oil in these trannies, just something about the synchro material or design that doesn't like it. toy trannies like GL4 oil, it's a little harder to find, but the good stuff is redline synthetic MT90 or MTL(if you live in a colder area)

Do a few things before you decide to bleed the hydraulic system for your clutch.

1. Check for leaks in your hydraulic system by inspecting the boots on the clutch MC (master cylinder) and SC (slave cylinder) and the line between them. If you've got a leak, replace the offending part before you bleed, otherwise, air will eventually get back into the system and you are back where you started.

2. Check to make sure your clutch pedal assembly is functioning properly and that it doesn't have a crack or broken part. This can also be the cause of poor clutch operation because the travel from the push rod in your MC isn't generating enough displacement and subsequently not enough force or displacement to release your pressure plate.


Before you decide you want to bench bleed the MC, which you can do without removing it from the truck, go down to your SC which is located near your starter. You can access it under your truck. There are plenty of threads that have pics.

Attach clear flexible tubing from the SC bleeder screw to a clean transparent bottle. I just used a plastic coke bottle, so that you can see the fluid coming out. You'll need someone pumping the peddle in the cab while you open and close the bleeder screw until all the air bubbles have been evacuated.

Do a search on the proper procedure for this 2 man operation. You can also use a one man operated vacuum pump, or a pressure pumping system (like I did) to get the job done.

I personally found bleeding all the air out of the system quite difficult. It took me 4 tries before I got it right.

A word of caution, don't go crazy on the pumping action in the cab because the MC could be damaged if there's air in the MC.

Good Luck!

Troy :hillbill:

thanks for all your replies guys, how much of the redline mt90 fluid do i need? I think it may really be the fluid because as soon as the truck warms up good the tranny shifts just fine.